Yum Yum, Sugar Plum

The beau pointed out three things to me recently...
1. I become "obsessed" with a lot of things (true)
2. I "accidentally" start watching lots of shows (hi, Tori and Dean)
3. Everything's my favorite (so true)

Well, guess what? I have a new favorite thing that I'm obsessed with... grilled lettuce. Now stay with me for a moment. Lettuce is perhaps one of the most boring foods on the planet, and I didn't think I would ever describe it as "to-die-for." I love salads, but for me they're all about the toppings. Not anymore. Several weeks ago the beau and I went with the Lobster and HeLobster to Charlotte hot spot Soul Gastro Lounge. Everything we got was insanely delectable, but the hit of the night was Lobster's grilled Caesar salad... hearts of romaine grilled, placed inside a huge, round crouton and drizzled with Caesar dressing. The flavor of that lettuce... WOW!

I've been craving it ever since, so after church yesterday I headed to the Harry Teet, picked up two bags of hearts of romaine, came home, lit the grill and set up cooking up two of the bunches (brushed with a bit of olive oil first) intending to have one for lunch and one for dinner. While they spent their short stint over the goals, I also drizzled some shrimp with lime juice and dusted them with Lawry's seasoned salt, Tony's (my go-to) and some Southwestern Chipotle seasoning. I dropped those in a pan and let them saute.

I flipped the lettuce on the grill so that all sides were equally cooked (just a few minutes per side... you don't want it to burn), and they were ready to go. I chopped it into a huge bowl, topped it with the shrimp and drizzled on some Caesar vinaigrette. Holy deliciousness, Batman. That bowl was plum cleaned out in record time. I could go on and on about the delectability of this grilled salad, but instead, I'll just urge you to try it yourself.

I decided last night (hours after my mouthgasm) that I NEEDED to bring the salad for lunch toay. Out of coals and lighter fluid, I opted to use a large saute pan to replicate the process. I think I'll be a little disappointed this afternoon, because I let the lettuce burn a bit, but I can assure you that it will still be incredibly tasty. I don't think I'll ever be able to eat another salad without the grilled lettuce.

And I think that's all. I'll pretend it's not pathetic that I just dedicated an entire post to grilled romaine, and I'll post and recap my trip to Steeplechase later!